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A PUBLICATION OF THE GOLDEN GATE LIVE STEAMERS
APRIL 2014
Event Calendar
! April4/13/14 GGLS Member Meeting4/13/14 GGLS Board Meeting
May5/04/14 GGLS Member Meeting5/04/14 GGLS Board Meeting5/17-18/14 SVLS Spring Meet
June6/08/14 GGLS Member Meeting6/08/14 GGLS Board Meeting6/21/14 GGLS Spring Meet6/22/14 GGLS Open House
July7/13/14 GGLS Member Meeting7/13/14 GGLS Board Meeting
August8/10/14 GGLS Member Meeting8/10/14 GGLS Board Meeting
The Call BoySmall Scale Operation
On The High Track
! Golden Gate is the only facility with track available for multi-gauge operation either at ground level or on an elevated track. Although most members run on the 7 1/2” gauge ground track, there are those who enjoy the smaller gauges as evidenced by member Chris Smith running in the prone position on a flat car behind the engine. In this issue, High Track Chairperson Jeremy Coombs presents a background on the high track, including past and future maintenance, along with a discussion regarding the future of the track. Please read his article and respond to him with your ideas and opinion.
The Call BoyEditorial Staff
Pat YoungRick ZobeleinKen Shattock
Officers
President: Rich Lundberg Vice President: Sam Tamez Secretary: Pat Young Treasurer: John Lisherness Safety: Michael Smith Ombudsman: Ken Blonski
GGLS Committee Chairmen
Track: Jim Dameron Bill Smith Rolling Stock: Richard Croll Engines: Mark Johnson Public Train John Bouey Bits & Pieces: Sheldon Yee Bldgs. & Grounds: Rich Lundberg Boiler Testing: Jerry Kimberlin High Track: Jeremy Coombs Refreshments: Walt Oellerich Technical: Charlie Reiter Round House: Michael Smith Web Page: Pat Young Librarian: Pat Young
Membership
Rick [email protected]
Call BoyArticles and photos submitted for insertion in the
Call Boy should be sent to Pat Young at:
10349 Glencoe Dr., Cupertino, CA [email protected]
Deadline for submittal to next months’ issue is15th of the month
Announcements
Member (and Vice President) Sammy Tamez had a couple of small strokes recently. Although not as active as before, Sammy is back up at the track and has been quite helpful as part of the Thursday work crew, even while relaxing in a chair!
A reminder to all members that club complaints, personality issues and other related items should first be directed to the club's Ombudsman Ken Blonski ([email protected] for initial resolution.There is an Enco lathe for sale by the family of Burton Miller. If interested, please contact Jo Ann Miller ([email protected]) for more information.
PV&ARR member Bill Boller has provided a link to a YouTube video that details an overview of the props constructed for the railroad scenes for the movie “The Lone Ranger”. The expense, equipment, and manpower involved to pull this off is beyond imagination. Miles of track in the desert, along with full scale creation of locomotive and rolling stock. Very little computer animation was used in this production! http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=mdXTXWpIYgQ
Golden Gate Live Steamersa 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Educational Museum
Track & Club House Location2501 Grizzly Peak Blvd.
Berkeley, CA, 94708510-486-0623www.ggls.org
Club Meeting Minutes
The Club meeting was called to order on March 9, 2014 at 10:00 am by President Rich Lundberg with a large turnout of 41+ people on a nice 52 degree day.
New Members and Guests:
Glen Christoffersen introduced his friend, Gene Heiman, a neighbor whom he met at his retirement complex in Pleasanton. Gene then introduced himself as a long time LALS live steamer and enjoyed working with the Public. Bruce Anderson whom we met last month has turned in his membership application and is now a regular member. Last, but not least, Dave Luther introduced his friend Paula.Welcome Gene, Bruce and Paula!
Steam-related Activities:
Bob Cohen talked about his visit to the Skunk Train at Fort Bragg (http://www.skunktrain.com/). While there, he saw a G scale layout in a barn and found out that their steam locomotive was stripped down for winter maintenance. One interesting aspect was that they were pressure testing each firebox tube individually.
Matt Thomas went to McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale (http://www.therailroadpark.com/), home of the Scottsdale Live Steamers. Although they weren't there, he rode the 15" railroad, walked around their museum, saw an HO & N scale layout and walked thru a Pullman car.
They then visited the Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad (http://ymsprr.com/) got a 5-hour shop tour and had a chance to get close up & personal with the shays, especially its line shaft bearings.
Walter Oellerich announced that on May 17th, 2014 there will be a steamfest at the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad (http://www.mrsr.com/) and they will have a steam up of their geared locomotives.
Committee Reports:
Buildings chairman Rich Lundberg was disappointed dat the poor turnout for the February workday, possibly due to the bad weather. It is hoped that the March work day will have a better attendance. No pruning was done but those individuals that did show up did sterling work in cleaning drains and hauling train loads of debris away from the facility.
The Tilden Station area has a perennial problem of flooding and mud slides. After some investigation by Rich Lundberg, Jerry Kimberlin & Andy Weber, an 8" culvert was discovered buried under the slab for at least 25 years! The club is going to install a new catch basin and improve the drainage to make use of this culvert.
The new riding car storage building is making progress. Its dual tracks are down and new post holes have been dug for the foundation footings. The next step will be to begin erecting the walls & roof of the structure.
Safety Chairman Michael Smith had nothing to report which is probably a good thing to hear.
Dan Swanson stated that the signal face plates on the outer loop and the signal bridges have been replaced with heavier a plastic version. Progress will now move to the inner loop.
Dan also installed a repeater signal, on the inner loop, just before the bridge, by the front gate. It mirrors the signal located on the bridge. thus giving an engineer more time to observe the position of the switch. Thank you Dan for your many improvements!
The Grounds Track report was given by Jim Dameron. The insulated joints have screw fasteners that are too short and have been coming loose. Jim has been replacing these as time allows. As always, the track can use some leveling and alignment, so if you have some time, please offer Jim a hand as he can’t do it all. The club has a special “Johnny Built” (thank you Clyde Johnson!) track leveler that is easily pushed down the track, using a spirit level to check track condition. Jim will be happy to instruct on the proper method of setting and leveling the track!
After being laid up with health issues for months, an applause was given to Public Train co-chairman John Bouey after announcing his return to the club. He thanked Rich Croll for being a god send for all the time spent managing the Public Train during his absence. Also thanked were all the wonderful Public Train crew that come in week-after-week during this unusually dry winter. John is back and plans to make a personal crusade to have two full time Public Train crews available each Sunday to provide the relief during their 4-5 hours runs each Sunday.
Co-chairman Rich Croll mentioned that there are additional engineers-in-training including Walt Oellerich's grand daughter Jessica who is shown here at her second session. Guest Gene Heiman has also offered his services and it seems that Public Train volunteering may be able to field two full crews. Again, the Public Train is the best place to learn how to operate a steam locomotive.
Mark Johnson and John Lisherness prepared the following report on the club's motive power:
RGS 22: The problems with the reversing gear have been corrected and Rich Croll is planning to install a larger battery to help fix the issue of no brakes.
Hunter Atlantic: New bushings have been installed and work well as no clicking or any binding has been observed during testing. The cylinder drain cocks need to be re-piped since they are steam operated and have no way to release pressure. The engine is operable but Anthony Duarte will be working on the drain cocks and adjusting the brake valves as soon as possible.
Heinz Atlantic: The valve gear has been removed to allow installation of new bushings and pins. The pilot truck is being completely rebuilt with new wheels and bearings and the pilot truck mounting plate has been fixed. Because it is out-of-gauge, the main driving axle must be removed. In preparation for a new paint job, the boiler jacket components are being cleaned off of old paint & rust.
Pacific: Anthony Duarte has the drawings and material for the new dual oil burner and will start the machining next week. This engine is out-of-service until the new burner is installed.
RGS 20: See the comments in the Board meeting minutes.
Baldwin diesel: The ignition switch has been relocated to a different position for better access. The Battery Saving Device (BSD) has been reinstalled and
is working. If you have any questions on using or operating the BSD, please contact Dan Swanson. Note that the BSD instructions are posted on the wall of the engine barn.
UVAS diesel: The engine is operational.
Web Master Pat Young is happy that members are using the web site more, especially the classified section. No new activities with the club's Yahoo Groups except for a mysterious problem encountered by John Lisherness. He could not log onto the group even though he is a member.Of a personal nature, Pat encountered intermittent problems with his notebook's hard drive, so he had to install a replacement drive. To spare and minimize the hassle of replacing a hard drive on a PC, he strongly stressed that users do file backups periodically and create a Microsoft system image for that eventuality.
Officer Reports:
Treasurer John Lisherness had a quick report with no surprises. More specific information can be obtained from John if interested.
Old Business:
No new progress to report with regards to the Steam Interpretive Project. Contact John if you are interested in more details.
New Business:
The 2014 Spring Meet/Open House is in need of volunteers. Food will be once again available by Jeff's Pit Stop BBQ. If you can spare some time to help, please contact Bob Morris for an assignment. As Bob has health issues, he is not able to handle many of the details. Any assistance you can give him will be greatly appreciated!([email protected]).
There was some interest in the old boiler located next to the club house. Thoughts were given about getting it repaired but it could be large enough to require state certification. There was also talk of using the boiler as a prop for a static steam collection but in the end, a motion was made and passed to dispose of it.
Board Meeting Minutes
The March 9, 2013 Board Meeting began at 11:40 am with Board members Ken Blonski, John Lisherness, Rich Lundberg, Michael Smith and Pat Young with Bob Cohen attending.
Old Business:
New member orientation was touched on briefly and discussions are continuing with others offline.
No update on last month’s topic on allowing any cleaning of engines/rolling stock, where to clean it, how to handle the residue and how to dispose of it.
There are two moderators in place for the Yahoo groups that belong to the club. Ombudsman Ken Blonski has been reminded to join in order to provide an impartial third moderator.
The use of the web server to archive electronic club documents seems a viable solution but a member should be designated as an archivist to handle the storage/retrieval requests. In retrospect, Pat Young believes that this duty should be part of the responsibility of the individual maintaining the club's web site or club librarian. He will look around for an individual to take on this responsibility.
Last year Bob Cohen signed a contract stipulating that he would buy, build, and deliver, a completely assembled locomotive, early this year, to be purchased by the club. Bob has all the components necessary to assemble the locomotive but a project at home has temporarily prevented further progress. Bob has requested an extension of the contract's delivery date and has agreed to write up a delivery date contract modification (with the guidance of John Lisherness) for Board review.
Two security-related issues were discussed, the first, a club policy on issuing lock combinations and the second, the possibility of installing a video recording surveillance system.
With regard to lock combinations, the club policy was modified to include a requirement that members wishing to obtain a lock combinations must undergo a training session on how to properly open and shutdown the club facility, and its’ water supply systems. The training sessions will start at the September 2014 meeting and continue through the Fall after which locks will be changed on October 30, 2014. Members from geographically distant areas may do the training at the Fall Meet, but all others should plan to attend a regular meeting. In addition, new members will have to demonstrate their commitment to the club before being issued the combination.To document this, the third paragraph of the club Lock Procedure, defining who can obtain the combination, is changed to the following:
“Any member, in good standing with a legitimate need for club access, who meets the following criteria and who applies, will be added to the key list.All members must undergo a training session on how to properly open and shutdown the club facility, in particular the water systems. In addition, all new members shall have been a member for a minimum of six (6) months and have attended club activities at least four (4) times including two meetings. Attendance will be verified with the sign-in sheets in the clubhouse.”
In general, lock combination applicants should fall in one of the following categories:
• Occasionally be one of the first members on site to open up the club facility.
• Operators who prefer to run their locomotive(s) on days other than the normal Sunday run day.
• Members who wish to use the club facility for private events such as celebrations, parties, picnics, etc.”
The possibility of installing a video recording surveillance system was discussed and in the end it was concluded that the benefits were not worth the cost & impact it would have on the club's atmosphere. This may be reconsidered if there are issues in the future with members not properly shutting down the facility, not respecting the club's facilities or other member's equipment.
All members who store equipment at the club should be aware that the club does not have a security system and that storing equipment at the club is at their own risk.
New Business:None.
Bits and Piecesby Sheldon Yee
Ken Brunskill - Alcohol Lamp, intended to be used to apply heat to a small Stirling Hot-Air Engine. What you see are two lamps, the one on the left being a commercially produced lamp with a glass bowl. However inexpensive and well-made, it did not allow for the designed clearance under said engine. So Ken adapted another lamp with parts from another lamp, and, together with some creative "jury rigging", managed to make a lamp with enough clearance to function in his particular application.
Rich Lundberg - Wheel Pattern for Casting Iron Wheels for his steam loco. Very well designed pattern of a driver and two truck wheels. Most people know, however, that though very professionally designed and appropriate for the intended usage, there are very few, if any, companies that would tackle such a small casting run. When a person only needs 4 drivers and 8 tender wheels, where does he go to to get this accomplished? Well, there are a number of commercial retailers that have iron wheel castings for many loco designs, in stock, but the cost is sometimes prohibitive. But, when a
hobbyist attempts to design his own castings, and then look around for someone to cast them, he or she may have bit off more that they could chew.
The Proper Care and Feeding of the Club Facility's Mile Posts
President Rich Lundberg gave a brief demonstration on how to maintain the milepost markers. The milepost consists of a hard plastic tube above ground and a 3/8" rod below ground. They are connected by a rubber sleeve that fits on the outside of the rod and inside the plastic tube. The design is such that if someone were to fall on the milepost, it would bend over instead of impaling the person. If you find a milepost lying on the ground, most likely it has been knocked loose from its base.To locate the buried rod, slide your foot around in the gravel and you should hit it. Then just slip the milepost over the connecting sleeve. If the sleeve is too torn or damaged, remove it with knife & pliers and replace with extras located in a coffee can in the tool shed. Michael Smith made the suggestion that the nearest tie be marked to locate the milepost. He will pursue this in the near future.
Editor's Video Picks
I saw this on the news during Christmas and was intrigued by it (you might too)! It's a 37 second video for those who find that money is no object.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TUmiP_U02Y
Builders Group Video Pick
It has been quite in the GGLS Builders Group, so I thought that a tool related video might spark some activity. Here is a 5:30 minute video titled: Best 4.5” grinder tool adaptation (by Said). You judge for yourself!
h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ?v=IQ5Fu7TYuGQ&feature=player_detailpage
THURSDAYS
a t t h e t r a c k O n g o i n g P r o j e c t s
CAR BARN PROJECTby Rich Croll
Post Hole CrewKen Blonski, Jerry Kimberlin, Rick Zobelein, Walt
Oellerich, and Rich Croll.
The prefabricated sides of the car barn are being put in place and located in the recently dug post holes. Thanks to Bill Smith for the post fabrication.
Roof framing is now attached to the posts. After squaring and leveling the structure, the cement crew will start the mix and pour during an upcoming Thursday. Design and wood work by Rich Lundberg.
Note: Between building construction, assisting with the club train and RGS22 maintenance, Rich is beginning to feel like he lives at the track. He welcomes any help with these projects! If you have run out of “honey-do” projects at home, or need to get out of the house, come up to the track and help out, so Rich can complete his projects!
Siding At Tilden Stationby Rich Croll
Recently, the benches at Tilden Station were removed. These benches were secured to a pair of large ties that, had, over the years, been partially buried by the moving hillside behind. A drainage ditch was cleared and a new siding has been installed next to the outside main to allow for staging an additional switch engine for use, as needed, for the public train. Thanks to all the volunteers who turned out to complete this project in such a short amount of time. Thanks also goes to Rich Lundberg for never running out of projects for the Thursday Worker Bees!
Another Engine for the Smith Family
Chris Smith announces a new member of the Smith roundhouse family of steam engines. A free lance built, oil burning Mogul based on Little Engine parts!
Chris also took time out to explain steam engine controls to a future engineer.
View from the High TrackJeremy Coombes Spring has sprung, and with it Live Steamers everywhere are eagerly preparing for the coming running season. The maintenance of facilities and equipment is a foremost priority for successful and trouble free operation of any railroad, and GGLS is no exception.Bob Morris and his son Rob put a lot of work into rebuilding the high track approximately 5 years ago, and it is holding up quite well; however, some general repair and maintenance is needed, and a call to members is in-order. As the High Track Chairman, I request anyone who would be willing to attend a work day dedicated to the high track contact me at my email address listed in the club Membership Roster. GGLS has one of the few small scale tracks in the western US, and almost certainly on the west coast, and I believe maintaining this capability is important to both the club and our hobby in general. Although participation and interest in the smaller scales has waned in the last decade or so, my personal hope is to see increased interest, and there are at least two active members who currently run on a regular basis. If I am off base please email me to discuss; your opinions and comments will not be forwarded or published to others, and it will give me an idea as to the direction GGLS should pursue. From a realistic point-of-view there are fundamental questions that must be answered in-order to plan for the future. All club members share responsibility for upkeep of the grounds and general facilities, but the high track is a "focused" interest which holds limited appeal to those operating in the larger scales. My hope is to stir-up some interest among individuals who enjoy being a part of something special.
Call Boy “Quotes” Republished from early Editions of the Call Boy
Building Your First Engineby Jim Vail (continued)
After the final $900 for valves, nuts and bolts, lubricator, injector, packing, Loctite, rivets and nails, the big day is here and you’re ready to run your engine. The night before, you were up until midnight trying to get the valves timed and get the whole works loaded into your vehicle. You’ve got everything you need. Complete toolbox with screwdrivers, pliers, hex wrenches, model taper pipe taps and dies, hammers, nuts and bolts, and a spare steam gauge. (Later, you will find you need vice grips, string packing, a safety valve, baling wire, a 6–32 tap and 3/32 Allen wrench – all laying at home on the workbench). You have a bag lunch and a thermos of coffee (in the afternoon you’ll have to throw out the coffee and go buy a six pack of beer). You have your striped overalls and hat, and a red bandanna that’s your kids gave you for Christmas (when you get on the freeway, you find everyone staring at you). You get up at six, use three spoons, two forks, a knife and a scoop of grease to fry two eggs, fix a cup of instant coffee and are on the road at eight trying to find a place to get gas. By 10 you are at the track, having damaged the pilot and the headlight after your engine slid into the front of the truck bed when you stop for a cat that was crossing the road. At 10:30, another guy shows up and you finally get your locomotive and the rest of your junk unloaded and you only forgot the fuel. That’s okay, there’s a stack of special blend (50% coal, 25% charcoal, 20% wood shavings and 5% dirt and rocks), that’s been laying in the clubhouse for five years, that you can use. To be continued next month.
For SaleMarch 21, 2014
Pair of Ready-to-Run 1 ½ “ Scale Bettendorf Trucks
Offered for sale are a pair of almost new condition 7 ½-inch gauge sprung freight car trucks rolling on ball bearings that could be placed under almost any freight car to have a running car in minutes. The trucks are in excellent condition and show no signs of use. The wheels are cast iron, axels are steel, and the bolster and side frames are of high tensile aluminum. The side frames can be drilled for brake rigging. Asking $425 for the pair.
Gondola Car Ends and Car Body Bolsters
Aluminum castings for easily building your own gondola or similar type freight car. Bolster castings match the above truck’s sliding pads.Asking $60 for pair of gondola ends and $50 for the body bolsters. Please contact Michael B. Smith at (650) 615-0475
For Sale February 15, 2014
Little Engines 7.5” gauge 0-4-0T Docksider
1.5" scale with 2 3/8" bore, 3" stroke, piston valve, Walschaert valve gear.
Workmanship is quite good.
Professional-made 26" by 9" diameter boiler.Price: $5,000 firm. If interested, please contact Bob Morris at [email protected]
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